Coffee and alcohol elixirs -- it sounds ridiculous. But we're not talking about tippling espresso martinis at Ruby Tuesday with the gals; this decade's approach to joe and booze is much more sophisticated.

Coffee and spirits have a natural affinity for each other. One reason may be that the stimulant properties of caffeine offsets the depressant effects ofalcohol, leaving us both alert and uninhibited -- if a little shaky. Or maybe we'll just add alcohol to anything. One thing's for certain, coffee and alcohol have been partners in crime well before Lebowski popularized the alcoholic coffee-milk nightcap.

The history -- or what we remember of itAccording to Belvedere's mastermixologistClaire Smith, as early as 1795, the Swedes were mixing vodka and coffee with this equation: “Put a coin in a cup. Pour on coffee till you can no longer see the coin. Pour on vodka till you can see the coin again.” Repeat until you're seeing doubles.

The best-known contemporary mix of coffee and alcohol is the Irish Coffee. In the 1940s, a chef at Foynes Airport in Ireland greeted passengers from a rerouted flight with coffee andwhiskyto brighten their mood. The drink eventually made its way to the States via San Francisco's Buena Vista Cafe, where today it serves up to 2,000 Irish Coffees in a day.

Coffee New WaveToday, the coffee industry is well into a post-Starbucks “third wave,” with producers and baristas addressing beans with the same attention to detail as winemakers or distillers. The comparison makes sense according to Cora Lambert, Director of Coffee at TriBeCa coffee bar RBC NYC. “When you're trying coffee, you're looking for similar tastes to spirits and wine: bitterness, sweet, sour, acidity.” And, she points out, these are the same things a mixologist is thinking about when making acocktail. In fact, Lambert trained under Sasha Petraske -- one of the bigger names in New York cocktails, owner of Little Brand and Milk & Honey -- when she worked at his coffee shop, the Mercury Dime (now closed).

So, it's of little surprise that the two worlds are starting to share more space in the glass -- and even in the shop. The best expression of the trend is New York City's The Randolph at Broome, a rock ‘n‘ roll cocktail bar and booze industry hangout that recently partnered with Alchemy Consulting to launch a daytime coffee program. Its menu includes “augmented coffee” -- modified by spices or flavor-infused demerara sugar syrup -- and coffee cocktails, many of which use fruit-based spirits. These have a natural affinity for coffee, also a fruit, according to the mixologists from Alchemy.

The Randolph has at its disposal a deep bar of spirits. At home, you can start with the widely available coffeeliqueur like Kahlua or try one of several new liqueurs like Firelit Spirits Coffee Liqueur, Galliano Ristretto or Heering Coffee Liqueur. Remember that thecocktailsaren't about spiking the morning joe to shake a hangover; the coffee's bitterness is itself an important flavoring element. “It awakens the palate and allows for greater perception of sweetness and flavor,” Smith says. “As a cocktail ingredient, it can often serve a similar purpose to ingredients like Amaro or bitters.”

** Infusing vodka with coffee: Place a handful (30 to 40) of coffee beans into a bottle of Belvedere and allow to stand for five to seven minutes. Shake bottle and strain out the coffee beans. Replace vodka into bottle and refrigerate. This will keep for up to eight weeks.Original Irish CoffeeOne shot Irish whiskey2 tsps of brown sugarFreshly brewed coffeeFresh, cold whipping cream

Preheat a traditional coffee mug or Irish coffee glass with hot water. Brew coffee. Whip cream until thick but still pourable. Dump hot water and add whiskey to glass. Add coffee and sugar. Collar that sh*t with cream by pouring it gently over a spoon so that it floats on top.

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